TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday (July 14) passed a defense spending bill that includes an amendment prohibiting the Pentagon from using any map depicting Taiwan as part of China.

The House approved the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for US$886 billion in spending for the Department of Defense. Included in the bill is an amendment proposed by Representative Tom Tiffany dubbed the "honest maps" measure that bars the U.S. Department of Defense from spending funds on maps that portray Taiwan as Chinese territory.

The legislation says, "None of the funds authorized to by (be) appropriated by the act may be used to create, procure, or display any map that depicts Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (Wuqiu), Green Island, or Orchid Island as part of the territory of the People's Republic of China."

Tiffany said: “All of us know that Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China. Any claims to the contrary are simply false." The congressional representative then added, "This amendment will require that the maps we use reflect a simple reality: China is China, and Taiwan is Taiwan.”

In March 2022, Congress passed a similar amendment sponsored by Tiffany that banned the U.S. State Department from using any map that shows Taiwan as part of China.

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Defense was forced to take down a report on the status of nuclear weapons arsenals after it inadvertently included Taiwan on a map of China.